Wednesday, December 12, 2018

On the Beat With Steve Michaels at Chicago Pop Culture Con 2018

At the recent Chicago Pop Culture Con, I had the pleasure of finally meeting Steve Michaels. While he has wrestled all around the area, I have not seen him in person due to scheduling conflicts. It was great to finally connect with Steve.

The interview started off a bit ominously as Steve implied a threat of his trademark "Chicago Bear Hug" if the interview didn't go well. Fortunately, I kept the interview positive and I remained uninjuured.

In reality, Steve is a super nice guy. When I contacted him weeks before the event, he graciously accepted my interview request. Upon meeting him at Chicago Pop Culture Con, Steve told me I could stop by anytime and we could get it done. He was as accommodating as could be.

A lot of people call themselves wrestlers, but Steve is the definition of a wrestler. This isn't a weekend thing for him. Wrestling is his full-time gig and he is busting his butt and having fun with it.

In the interview below, we talk about his start in wrestling, his career, his dream opponent and more. His dream opponent is especially interesting to me. He selected a big man, which makes sense because it would be a bruiser of a match. On the other hand, as I asked him, could he get his "Chicago Bear Hug" around that opponent?

Steve certainly embraced Chicago in his career. Naming his signature move "Chicago Bear Hug" also makes total sense. Plus, I love the concept of a bear hug being used. It's old school in the new era. It's pure Chicago.

Talking to Steve was a lot of fun. I look forward to actually seeing him wrestle soon. I will report back on that right here when it happens. Either way, I will continue following Steve's career and I encourage all to do so, too.

Thank you to Steve for his time and consideration (and for not putting me in the Chicago Bear Hug). Thanks to Tim Zurko of Zurko Promotions for facilitating this and the other interviews at Chicago Pop Culture Con.